I know, dont dream do, but this will do for now

Biero seldom fails…and a black bear with a bike

and tonight is no exception. Had a few quiet beers at Biero this fine Friday evening with Jas, Seg and a slightly late Jugga. On my tasting list was a Mountain Goat (big foot stout I think), a Hargreaves Hill Russian Imperial Stout, a Feral Karma Citra Black IPA and a Meantime London Stout.

I think the boys struggled with the big stouts. Seg drank cider. I loved the blackness. Actually I have just attempted to recreate some of the black goodness by trying to blend a 50/50 pale ale dry/choc stout to have a crack at recreating the Karma Citra, or at least the flavor profile but the keg of pale ale blew so no go for that idea. Bugger.

Hang on you didn’t think I said big black bear did you? no I didn’t think so. Here’s a picture of one with a bike though. Bears like bikes, and big black beers I’m guessing. Kind of hard to tell since they don’t speak.

I texted Glen, brewer at Hargreaves Hill that I was drinking his Russian Imperial Stout (I added I enjoyed it, which I did) and he replied that I was drinking it way to young. I don’t disagree with him but that is the conundrum of the Australian beer scene. There are a bunch of beers that really need some age but who either can afford to or wants to sit on them? I know that the Red Hill Russian Imperial Stouts that I put in the back of the wardrobe for a year or two come out all the better for the time. But time is such a strange economic commodity. Worth so little if you are lying on the couch doing sweet fuck all. Worth so much if it’s a product you’ve paid for sitting on a shelf. The brewers know the beers need the time but have to pay the bills??

Still didn’t have a bad beer tonight. The one that stood out, perhaps for all the wrong reasons was the Meantime London Stout. So smooth, so understated, yet so enjoyable. Really nice beer I think I could drink a lot of. Had a kind of soft finnish to it. Nice work Biero.

Well that’s it for me tonight. Need to get that starter going and get some sleep. Early start, IPA’s to brew, and it all needs to be done in time to get back and do something for Saturday evening with Jacqui. Well that’s the plan at least.